Wednesday, October 13,2004 @ 7:55am
Microsoft launches MSN Music, calls iTunes "closed"
Microsoft yesterday officially launched its MSN Music Store, offering both praise for Apple iTunes, while calling the system "closed": "iTunes has done a great job of helping to elevate the [digital music] market," said Christine Andrews, lead product manager of MSN. "We're different because Apple is a closed system. If you want Apple, you have to use the iPod. A lot of people want choice and we offer that." In response, Apple touted its 92-percent iPod marketshare for drive-based players and 65-percent marketshare for all portable players (including flash-based devices), saying that the "iTunes Music Store, with its catalog of over 1 million songs, works with 65 percent of all MP3 players and 92 percent of all hard-drive based music players being sold today. There is a lot of customer choice happening today, it's just that Microsoft doesn't like the choices customers are making." [updated]